Week 14: Steelers at Bills on SNF

[The Wiz]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

What stats did Nick Wright provide to support his contention?

 

He just is. And then at the end of the segment when discussing Allen's potential contact you could hear him laughing. 

 

Not sure it was in the clip provided though. 

[Don Otreply]

8 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

per half?  Lol

 

I’m over 6 

Per quarter is more likely 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

7 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

I'll move the line like Vegas when I see the bets come in. 

 

Also Collinsworth will be busy sucking off every Pitt player so I feel like 6 to start is good. 

 Fair point.... He will Fawn over TJ Watt, Stroke Claypool a bit,  give Tomlin a thorough rim job, then probably Just spend the rest of his time talking about Mahommes. 

[JGMcD2]

9 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

What stats did Nick Wright provide to support his contention?

 

Nick Wright said... paraphrasing...
 

They were asked about if the Bills are under rated or over rated. Wright said they’re fine, but he doesn’t think they win a playoff game because he doesn’t trust Josh Allen. 
 

Brandon Marshall pushed back and said if Nick Wright is going to anoint the Browns as serious contenders, how can he not do the same with the Bills. To which Wright responded that it’s because Baker is a better QB than Josh Allen. 

 

He said if you watched Josh Allen over the first month and then the 49ers game, you’d think he was good. But Nick Wright watched football in October and November and Josh Allen was bad. The Bills only went 4-3 in that timeframe and Josh had 10 TDs to 9 TO (He conveniently only used passing TD. Left out 3 rushing and 1 receiving TD and the fact he averaged over 240 yards passing). (For comparison, Baker during this same timeframe had 10 TDs and 7 TO and averaged 196 yards passing per game) 
 

The he proceeded to say that the Browns have a better run game, better defense and better QB therefore they are the superior team to Buffalo.

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by JGMcD2

[Stank_Nasty]

9 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

What stats did Nick Wright provide to support his contention?

 

When it came to Mayfield? literally none. 

[YoloinOhio]

39 minutes ago, buffalo2218 said:

Hmm, this is a weird twist. The Bills playing against a team that doesn't run the ball well. I believe the Steelers are also down both their starting CBs as well. Man, if Brown was active for this game. Biggest threat from that D is obviously Watt. Maybe we bring Kroft back for this one?

Stephen Nelson was out last week but he’s back to practice, Hayden is in concussion protocol though 

[tomur67]

In my humble opinion, I think the key to this game is if the O-line can give Josh time. Their D-line (especially Watt) can be very disruptive, but if the O-line continues their good protection, I don't think their DB's can cover all the receiving weapons that Josh can throw to.

[Pokebball]

2 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

This is a good cut up of Nation media cut ups and what their saying about the bills heading into sunday night. Nick wright with a gem to start it off. LOLOL..... and then i love the fact, that at the end of the whole thing, they show Chris Canty on "get up" as the ONE person i've seen over the last month reference the strength of our wins and the quality teams we've lost to as his lead up to us having a gripe as AFC squad #2. He's the anti-keyshawn johnson. 

 

 

What the National Media is saying about Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | NFL - YouTube

When Nick has to pick and chose a short period of time to defend his opinion, rather than considering the entire body of work, you know his narrative is wrong.  It's just that simple.  The guy's a knucklehead and is very easy to see through.

[dma0034]

20 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

What stats did Nick Wright provide to support his contention?

 

 

Someone already mentioned it. He said he watched Allen in Oct and Nov and he had 10 TDs to 9 TOs. Didn't mention Total TDs though which would have added 5. It's like saying Lamar Jackson's 2019 was mediocre because he only had 36 TDs and 3k yards... you're kind of missing something. They brought up what they think Allen's contract will look like (around 40m) and he was like "I wouldn't even pay Baker that much!"

[Hapless Bills Fan]

11 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

Nick Wright said... paraphrasing...
 

They were asked about if the Bills are under rated or over rated. Wright said they’re fine, but he doesn’t think they win a playoff game because he doesn’t trust Josh Allen. 
 

Brandon Marshall pushed back and said if Nick Wright is going to anoint the Browns as serious contenders, how can he not do the same with the Bills. To which Wright responded that it’s because Baker is a better QB than Josh Allen. 

 

He said if you watched Josh Allen over the first month and then the 49ers game, you’d think he was good. But Nick Wright watched football in October and November and Josh Allen was bad. The Bills only went 4-3 in that timeframe and Josh had 10 TDs to 9 TO (He conveniently only used passing TD. Left out 3 rushing and 1 receiving TD and the fact he averaged over 240 yards passing). (For comparison, Baker during this same timeframe had 10 TDs and 7 TO and averaged 196 yards passing per game)

 

🤔 Think the Jets, Seasnakes, and Cards games took place in that timeframe and were pretty good games for Josh.  Not to mention NE and the Chargers which weren't bad games, just games where he was expected to "manage" behind the run game and D.

 

11 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

The he proceeded to say that the Browns have a better run game, better defense and better QB therefore they are the superior team to Buffalo.

 

Well, one of those three things is true.  The Browns undeniably and inarguably have a better run game.

Bills D now rated 18 on points.  Browns 22.  Advantage: Bills D

Bills D now rated 21 in yards.  Browns rated 19.  Advantage Browns, but which wins football games?  Oh yeah, that's right scoring more points.

 

 

[JGMcD2]

16 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

🤔 Think the Jets, Seasnakes, and Cards games took place in that timeframe and were pretty good games for Josh.  Not to mention NE and the Chargers which weren't bad games, just games where he was expected to "manage" behind the run game and D.

 

 

Well, one of those three things is true.  The Browns undeniably and inarguably have a better run game.

Bills D now rated 18 on points.  Browns 22.  Advantage: Bills D

Bills D now rated 21 in yards.  Browns rated 19.  Advantage Browns, but which wins football games?  Oh yeah, that's right scoring more points.

 

 

Yeah and then today he released his “NFL Tiers” where he ranks teams based on their competitiveness when it comes to winning a Super Bowl. Here is how he ranked them...

 

Champs: Chiefs

 

#1 Contender: Saints

 

Conference Champion Threat: Packers, Steelers

 

Don’t Let Them Get Hot: Browns, Bills, Rams, Seahawks

 

So he said the Browns were clearly the better team, but then put them in the same category as the Bills... while he was going through this he made the comment “The Bills can get hot if Josh Allen plays the first good playoff game of his life.”

 

Which is kind of an idiotic statement, because he’s played one game and while he broke down a little bit... it wasn’t necessarily a bad game from him... it was the lateral and the bad sack that has everyone saying “it was a disaster.” 

 

24/46 for 265, 9/92 rushing and 1/16 with a TD receiving. 
 

He didn’t blow a 16-0 lead with 19 minutes left in the game. 

[Scott7975]

6 hours ago, The Wiz said:

2-1.  I think there was another win I am forgetting though.

 

W Colts in 18

W Miami in 19

 L Ravens 19

 

I feel like they wore them against the Jets in a win and also agains Jags but can't find it right now.

Pretty sure Jets was the first game with them. Thursday night. Jets had all green and color blind people complained. 

[Mat68]

3 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

Yeah and then today he released his “NFL Tiers” where he ranks teams based on their competitiveness when it comes to winning a Super Bowl. Here is how he ranked them...

 

Champs: Chiefs

 

#1 Contender: Saints

 

Conference Champion Threat: Packers, Steelers

 

Don’t Let Them Get Hot: Browns, Bills, Rams, Seahawks

 

So he said the Browns were clearly the better team, but then put them in the same category as the Bills... while he was going through this he made the comment “The Bills can get hot if Josh Allen plays the first good playoff game of his life.”

 

Which is kind of an idiotic statement, because he’s played one game and while he broke down a little bit... it wasn’t necessarily a bad game from him... it was the lateral and the bad sack that has everyone saying “it was a disaster.” 

 

24/46 for 265, 9/92 rushing and 1/16 with a TD receiving. 
 

He didn’t blow a 16-0 lead with 19 minutes left in the game. 

Allen threw some dimes that game will forever be over looked or forgotte .  He also threw some dimes in the 4th quarter and overtime that win the game if the guys on the otherside make the plays.

[WideNine]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

 

So you don't think that opposing offensive coordinators have thought about this? That's what has been happening all year. They go after what they perceive is your weak spots. Luckily, Wallace is not as bad as everyone has been saying. He's pretty average. Taron Johnson is ok, but not that good. Both players are serviceable.

 

These guys would not be playing if there was a better option on the team right now. And it is nowhere near the problem you make it out to be.

 

Obviously you want to have two shutdown corners and a great nickel, but that's a little unrealistic. Whoever lines up opposite of Tre White is going to get targeted all game long.

 

I do think that is what OCs are thinking that is why I said as much.

 

I think our serviceable guys are fine against QB's named Mullens, but we will see this week. I think Milano gives us some coverage options that will help.

 

I don't think my take was a "sky is falling" that you make it out to be, just pragmatic. These guys are not very good in coverage and they are the ones teams target when they want to march down the field.

 

 

 

[JGMcD2]

6 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

Allen threw some dimes that game will forever be over looked or forgotte .  He also threw some dimes in the 4th quarter and overtime that win the game if the guys on the otherside make the plays.

Yup. The media ran with the lateral and the fumble and said he cracked under pressure. He did more than enough to put the Bills in a spot to win that game. 
 

I don’t necessarily think he played poorly and while he didn’t make same wild errors, he made some great plays. If the defense doesn’t crack, they win and everyone is gushing over the stat line. 

[YoloinOhio]

5 hours ago, PaattMaann said:

 

Spillane wont be playing. Tomlin slow played it in his presser saying "still being evaluated", but the beat reporters said he "will avoid surgery, but will miss time, expected back this season". He aint playing. 

 

Haden is worth watching for. Personally I doubt he clears concussion protocol on a short week, but it has been done. 

 

Like you say, two big blows if they are out. 

Haden also has a serious concussion history. He was out a really long time in 2015 when he was with the browns, I think he missed the last 5 games and had two different concussions that year. 

[RichRiderBills]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

What stats did Nick Wright provide to support his contention?

 

 

To heck with this bozo Nick Wright...his last job was a stunt double for Borat. Guy is a terrible hot take artist. Garbage quality analysis. Who the heck is he?

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

41 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

Yup. The media ran with the lateral and the fumble and said he cracked under pressure. He did more than enough to put the Bills in a spot to win that game. 
 

I don’t necessarily think he played poorly and while he didn’t make same wild errors, he made some great plays. If the defense doesn’t crack, they win and everyone is gushing over the stat line. 

 

Do you mean "while he did make some wild errors?"  I don't want to relive the game, but overall I'd agree that Josh balanced some mistakes with good play and it wasn't all on him.

 

I think that was the game that netted us Stefon Diggs.  I think Beane went into the game feeling he'd done enough to build a good offense, and what we had at WR and TE was "enough".  I think he came out of the game realizing "nope, need more weapons", which is of course correct - Houston bracked Beasley and took him away all day, at least 3 WR on the final drive had incompletions on catchable balls, and the fact that Duke Williams has lived his life on the PS this year says enough about that experiment.

 

Interestingly, Josh was talking with Pat McAfee about the "fumble" in the direction of Dawson Knox and his viewpoint on that seems to have clarified.  He said he still thinks about some plays in the Houston game but that (notorious) one is way down his list.  He said if he made a better pitch, "Dawson Knox might still be running".  McAfee said after watching it from several angles he saw that point.  Josh said "I made that decision and I'll have to live with it."

[CincyBillsFan]

52 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

Yup. The media ran with the lateral and the fumble and said he cracked under pressure. He did more than enough to put the Bills in a spot to win that game. 
 

I don’t necessarily think he played poorly and while he didn’t make same wild errors, he made some great plays. If the defense doesn’t crack, they win and everyone is gushing over the stat line. 

 

I will go to my death bed saying the lateral was NOT a crazy play.  It was unconventional by NFL standards TODAY but back in the 1960's/1970's NFL players actually did that on a fairly regular basis.

 

As for Allen's play in that game he was fantastic in the first half. If he had Diggs & Davis out their instead of Duke and whoever the Bills would have been up by at least 17 and probably 21 to nothing at half.

 

And while Allen did get rattled a bit on two drives in the 4th quarter he got it back together again nicely at the end of the game to force OT.  And in OT he made a couple of great throws and if just ONE of 3 Bills had got a hat on the Texan LB on that Allen run to the right, Josh likely takes it to the house and is the hero of that playoff game.

 

 

[gobills404]

 

[JGMcD2]

19 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Do you mean "while he did make some wild errors?"  I don't want to relive the game, but overall I'd agree that Josh balanced some mistakes with good play and it wasn't all on him.

 

I think that was the game that netted us Stefon Diggs.  I think Beane went into the game feeling he'd done enough to build a good offense, and what we had at WR and TE was "enough".  I think he came out of the game realizing "nope, need more weapons", which is of course correct - Houston bracked Beasley and took him away all day, at least 3 WR on the final drive had incompletions on catchable balls, and the fact that Duke Williams has lived his life on the PS this year says enough about that experiment.

 

Interestingly, Josh was talking with Pat McAfee about the "fumble" in the direction of Dawson Knox and his viewpoint on that seems to have clarified.  He said he still thinks about some plays in the Houston game but that (notorious) one is way down his list.  He said if he made a better pitch, "Dawson Knox might still be running".  McAfee said after watching it from several angles he saw that point.  Josh said "I made that decision and I'll have to live with it."

Yes, that is sad typo.

 

I think it increased Beane’s urgency... I think he was intent on getting a WR1 for Josh. Tried to get Antonio Brown, wanted Diggs at the deadline and Vikings said no. I don’t think he was complacent I just don’t think he had a trade partner until this spring. But yeah I agree the game increased his urgency to go and get that guy.

 

Yes, I did see that. I didn’t think it was THAT bad. It was him trying to make a play... I’ve seen it happen before... but because it was improvised and didn’t worked... he was “cracking under pressure.” Had it worked Knox would still be running and the play would be all over highlight reels.

 

[Solomon Grundy]

1 hour ago, dma0034 said:

 

Someone already mentioned it. He said he watched Allen in Oct and Nov and he had 10 TDs to 9 TOs. Didn't mention Total TDs though which would have added 5. It's like saying Lamar Jackson's 2019 was mediocre because he only had 36 TDs and 3k yards... you're kind of missing something. They brought up what they think Allen's contract will look like (around 40m) and he was like "I wouldn't even pay Baker that much!"

Too bad he didn't do his homework and realized that Josh was playing with a shoulder injury in those games. Nick Wright should have listened to Matt Hasselbeck's analysis of playing with an injured shoulder and how when he played with one it threw off his accuracy. Besides, he's a KC fan and scared as hell of having to play us again, healthy.

1 hour ago, RichRiderBills said:

 

To heck with this bozo Nick Wright...his last job was a stunt double for Borat. Guy is a terrible hot take artist. Garbage quality analysis. Who the heck is he?

 

 

Rich, you're giving Borat a bad rap

[Solomon Grundy]

4 hours ago, Buffalo Bills Fan said:

 

Right. But I trust more Dane Jackson or Levi as number  2 CB on roster. Hoping for a upgrade for off season. Norman was way worse then Levi Or Dane Jackson

Sounds like coach wasn't too happy with Wallace's performance 

 

https://billswire.usatoday.com/2020/12/09/buffalo-bills-leslie-frazier-critical-levi-wallace-san-francisco-49ers-josh-norman/

 

 

[Buffalo Junction]

1 hour ago, gobills404 said:

 

 

[letsgoteam]

Quick google lookup says weather is going to cold (high 30s) and wet in Orchard Park Sunday Night. Anyone actually from the area want to tell/say if they believe that weather report or what the local consensus is for the weather?

[Doc Brown]

3 hours ago, JGMcD2 said:

Then he proceeded to say that the Browns have a better run game, better defense and better QB therefore they are the superior team to Buffalo.

Which destroyed his own argument.

[Buffalo Junction]

10 minutes ago, letsgoteam said:

Quick google lookup says weather is going to cold (high 30s) and wet in Orchard Park Sunday Night. Anyone actually from the area want to tell/say if they believe that weather report or what the local consensus is for the weather?

I got 48 degrees and a 50% chance of rain. 🤷‍♂️. See my stripper comment. It applies. 

[BuffaloFan68]

Steelers are going to be out for blood after loosing to Washington. I’d start the game off with a lot of screens & RPOs with a couple gadget plays thrown in to slow the Curtain down a little. 
Let’s Go Buffalo!!!!! 

[Golden]

1 hour ago, JGMcD2 said:

Yes, that is sad typo.

 

I think it increased Beane’s urgency... I think he was intent on getting a WR1 for Josh. Tried to get Antonio Brown, wanted Diggs at the deadline and Vikings said no. I don’t think he was complacent I just don’t think he had a trade partner until this spring. But yeah I agree the game increased his urgency to go and get that guy.

 

Yes, I did see that. I didn’t think it was THAT bad. It was him trying to make a play... I’ve seen it happen before... but because it was improvised and didn’t worked... he was “cracking under pressure.” Had it worked Knox would still be running and the play would be all over highlight reels.

 

Right on👍  Last year, the Bills receivers were targeted to jam @ the line of scrimmage (Patriots exposed this) & the addition of Diggs has broken this weakness.

[Warcodered]

 

 

[QLBillsFan]

On 12/8/2020 at 5:16 AM, Process said:

Annoying that Washington beat them. Would have been nice to see the Bills hand them their first loss.

I’m pumped they lost to the Skins. We are way more likely to catch them than Chiefs. They are not playing great and that game was more the norm than an exception. Other than Denver I feel better about this game than 2nd visits with AFC East rivals 🤷🏻‍♂️

Edited December 10, 2020 by QLBillsFan

[QLBillsFan]

4 hours ago, dma0034 said:

 

Someone already mentioned it. He said he watched Allen in Oct and Nov and he had 10 TDs to 9 TOs. Didn't mention Total TDs though which would have added 5. It's like saying Lamar Jackson's 2019 was mediocre because he only had 36 TDs and 3k yards... you're kind of missing something. They brought up what they think Allen's contract will look like (around 40m) and he was like "I wouldn't even pay Baker that much!"

Hmm since JA currently has only 8 int’s fascinating that he said 10 and 9. I’m fine with the criticism if it’s accurate. Actual Bills fans know the LAR Kroft int was ridiculous. HassleB has documented the shoulder injury as playing a part during those games. Many media explaining KM’s slump with his shoulder. Which could be on point as well. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I found this analysis interesting on the different types of coverages that the Steelers run and disguise.

 

This isn’t going to be like the Niners, who basically play Cover 4 like 99% of the time. Steelers really mix things up. JA is going to also have to stay clear of Minkah:

 

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2020/6/2/21274693/masters-of-disguise-how-the-steelers-keep-offenses-guessing-by-masking-their-coverages-safety-corner

 

 

[The Wiz]

30 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I found this analysis interesting on the different types of coverages that the Steelers run and disguise.

 

This isn’t going to be like the Niners, who basically play Cover 4 like 99% of the time. Steelers really mix things up. JA is going to also have to stay clear of Minkah:

 

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2020/6/2/21274693/masters-of-disguise-how-the-steelers-keep-offenses-guessing-by-masking-their-coverages-safety-corner

 

 

I feel like this is the type of game/defense that they are going to plan on dialing up small ball.  Get the short completions and run the ball (similar to the NE game).  I don't doubt they are planning on Allen being a threat with his arm but maybe this is the type of game to use his legs more.

[Big Blitz]

Going to be 25 degrees but no precipitation and not to bad with the wind.  

 

Ben plays well in that weather.  His WRs not so sure.  But with Pouncey and Conner back they'll try and be more balanced.  Ben has only been sacked 10 times and the Redskins couldn't even get to him. The advantage we have is Ben hasn't seen this defense...not just the scheme but the personnel.  Not sure he's played against Tre White.  

 

I expect the Bills to throw it 45 times.  You can't run on this team as it is let alone if you're a below average run team.  Their front is elite vs the run.  

 

And they're banged up in the secondary.

 

No feel yet for the game and final score.  

 

 

 

Looking forward to the clips of McD and Tomlin at William and Mary.  I was at the game in Pittsburgh last year so didn't see the telecast.   

[appoo]

One thought about Levi Wallace is that the Steelers WR provide a hugely different challenge than the Niners WRs. You can't get much quicker than Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. They're basically super charged smurfs.  JuJu, Claypool and Diontae Johnson are all bigger and stronger WRs, but they're also not nearly as quick. That's probably better for Levi who seems to do better with physical WRs. 

 

There's also going to be some interesting choice being made in coverage. This current offense for the Steelers is no longer the power vertical offense you're used to seeing from Mike Tomlin, it's almost an Air Raid offense where the ball comes out absurdly quick and everything is horizontal. There's a few ways you can handle that. You can zone & tackle them, and basically trade yardage for FGs. That's a good strategy if you're confident in your own offense turning possessions into TDs, because you won't see as much of the ball. Or you can get into their faces and try to disrupt short routes, and hope your pressure gets to them. Something you might try if you're not certain of your offense, and you want to maximize the number of possessions in the game.  

 

The other factor is that the Steelers are getting a lot of schtick from the media for not running the football. James Connor has been activated from reserve, and I'm wondering if Mike Tomlin wants to go back to his roots, and tries to pound and go vertical off the run game? That's something I'm probably more comfortable with, as I think the Niners are a better running team than the Steelers. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

31 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

Going to be 25 degrees but no precipitation and not to bad with the wind.  

 

Ben plays well in that weather.  His WRs not so sure.  But with Pouncey and Conner back they'll try and be more balanced.  Ben has only been sacked 10 times and the Redskins couldn't even get to him. The advantage we have is Ben hasn't seen this defense...not just the scheme but the personnel.  Not sure he's played against Tre White.  

 

I expect the Bills to throw it 45 times.  You can't run on this team as it is let alone if you're a below average run team.  Their front is elite vs the run.  

 

And they're banged up in the secondary.

 

No feel yet for the game and final score.  

 

 

 

Looking forward to the clips of McD and Tomlin at William and Mary.  I was at the game in Pittsburgh last year so didn't see the telecast.   

I was there last year too with my Steelers fans’ friends.  We were hoping to all do the trip to Buffalo this year, but covid! 

[billsherd]

Bills will look run the ball more against the Steeles. Allen will not have that much time in pocket to throw as he did against the 49ers. We will see more rb/wr screens. 

[Bob Chandler's Hands]

4 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I was there last year too with my Steelers fans’ friends.  We were hoping to all do the trip to Buffalo this year, but covid! 

Same thing here.

Good news: assuming both teams win the division, Steelers back at Buffalo in 2021. 

More good news: based on the normal schedule rotation, Steelers back in Buffalo again in 2022!

[Warcodered]

 

I can feel that exasperation from Orlovsky every team we face becomes the new real test and then once we beat them they become retroactively bad.